I love gardening, but due to my "spoonieness" (fibro/autoimmune arthritis) I've found gardening to be rather difficult. I gave up on allotments as by the time I got down to it and tried to work I was exhausted. Raised beds weren't working for me either as a mere 10cm off the ground just isn't high enough for extended weeding. I had just resigned myself to maybe growing in growbags and sticking to spuds and root vegetables when a bit of a windfall meant I had some dosh available. I decided to go with a trough planter (mine was from Harrods - very posh! - but I've noticed other places are selling them now) and decided to see how I got on with it.

It arrived early this year in bits, but I hoped it wouldn't be too difficult for me to put together even with borked hands. It took a day or two, but I managed it, pacing myself and remembering once it was done it would be worth it (I hoped!)

I filled it with coir, farmyard manure, a generous bit of fish blood and bone meal, and marvelled (not for the first time) that I was working at waist height. No bending and groaning, no rushing planting seed because I was in agony. I was able to cover the lot (as it was still incredibly cold even in March and April), and just let it get on without having to much fuss and worry.

By late May, I had this I cannot even begin to say how happy I am with this arrangement. It manages to grow veg at a good height even on my worst days, keeps the crops warm in cold weather, and it conserves plenty of water as well. I do suspect since it's all wood that a more able-bodied bod than myself would have given it a bit of a wood-treat before planting (and I am considering doing just that on the outside of the trough next year) but I am very pleased with this trough and love it's made gardening a lot more in-reach for me now. I'm considering getting another one.

I'm sure there's a way to make these things more economically and with a bit more DIY than I have done, and so I'd encourage people to give it a try if building one is more your style, or if you know anyone who struggles a bit with the whole working-on-the-ground bit of gardening. So I'm posting the full picture so you can get a look at the thing, and maybe someone handy with a saw could give it a go for themselves.

I've currently got overwintering onions, chard, leeks, carrots, and overwintering broad beans and peas planted. I'm going to put in some leafy veg in the next two days, and the cover is still going strong after a year of me pretty much neglecting it.